hrc

How do I put this on my wedding registry? If there’s a way, I’m walking down the aisle immediately ;)

Academy Award winner Jennifer Hudson made a pair of grooms’ special day even more special. The 33-year-old entertainer crashed their wedding held at the W Hotel in Dallas, Texas and surprised them with a performance immediately after saying their ‘I dos.’

Hudson first appeared via taped video message before making a grand entrance, coming behind curtains in a skintight Balmain dress. She performed “I Still Love You” off her latest album J-Hud. She even stepped down off the stage to dance with them. #luckybitches Personally, I would’ve preferred “Spotlight” ;)

“Hi Chris and Scott, it’s me, Jennifer,” she says in the video message before her surprise appearance. “When my friends at the W Hotel and HRC told me about you guys finally being able to get married in Texas, I had to send a message to say congrats and thank you all for the hard work you do to raise awareness for equality.”

It’s worth mentioning that Jennifer works with W Hotels and the HRC for an LGBT marriage equality initiative called Turn It Up For Change. Check out the surprise performance below.

First and foremost, Happy National Coming Out Day (NCOD) everyone. How do you plan on celebrating this gay holiday? Come out again? LOL. I kid.

The date of October 11 was chosen because it was the anniversary of the 1987 National March on Washington for Lesbian and Gay Rights where half a million people participated. In 1998, Robert Eichberg, a psychologist from New Mexico, and Jean O’Leary, an openly gay political leader from Los Angeles, made the holiday official and founded NCOD.

To mark the 25th anniversary, the Human Rights Campaign looks back at some of the trailblazing coming out moments in American media that raised the profile of LGBT Americans and sparked important dialogue about the fight for equality. Some of the famous LGBT celebrities featured in the clip include Ricky Martin, Jason Collins, Frank Ocean, Adam Lambert, Lance Bass and naturally Ellen DeGeneres.

If you’re curious to read a few of our respective coming out stories, we’ve compiled them here for you. Simply click on the author’s name to learn more about each Homorazzi.com writer. In the meantime, check out HRC’s commemorative montage below.

I’ve been wanting to post about this since Saturday but wanted to wait until the Human Rights Campaign uploaded the official video. At long last, they have.

Over the weekend, I attended the HRC Dinner in Seattle. I agreed to going with Brian weeks ago without knowing who the guest speaker on hand would be. As luck would have it, Wentworth Miller was the esteemed speaker. How lucky was I? I literally found this out just minutes prior to heading into the ballroom. No joke. I was that oblivious.

Given the fact Miller recently officially came out just weeks ago, being present at his first official speaking engagement was an honor. Plus, I’ve had a huge crush on him since his Prison Break days. Naturally, I was excited ;) During his moving speech, he talked about struggling with his sexuality, contemplating suicide and declining his invitation to the St. Petersburg Film Festival. Watch his entire speech below.

“Speaking the right way, standing the right way, holding your wrist the right way. Every day was a test and there were a thousand ways to fail. A thousand ways to betray yourself. To not live up to someone else’s standard of what was acceptable, what was normal. And when you failed the test, which was guaranteed, there was a price to pay. … Like many of you, I paid that price.

The first time that I tried to kill myself, I was 15. I waited until my family went away for the weekend and I was alone in the house and I swallowed a bottle of pills. … When someone asked me if that was a cry for help, I said no, because I told no one. You only cry for help if there’s help to cry for. I wanted out.”

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has just released a video in conjunction with the Human Rights Campaign. She really explains her stance and support for gay marriage really well and you can really get how passionate she is about the issue.

In one part of her message she says, “I support it personally and as a matter of policy and law. Embedded in a broader effort to advance equality and opportunity for LGBT Americans and all Americans.” She continues, “Like so many others, my personal views have been shaped over time by people I have known and loved. By my experience representing our nation on the world stage, my devotion to law and human rights, and the guiding principles of my faith.”

Back in 2010 Laura Bush appeared on CNN talking about same-sex marriage with Larry King. During her chat with King, she revealed that she disagreed with George W. on the subject of gay marriage. A portion of her interview appeared in a new $1 million media campaign by the Respect for Marriage Coalition, co-chaired by the Human Rights Campaign.

Once Bush heard of her inclusion in the clip, she enlisted her spokesperson Anne MacDonald to release the following statement, “Mrs. Bush did not approve of her inclusion in this advertisement nor is she associated in any way with the group that made the ad.”

When the Respect for Marriage Coalition received Laura’s request, they stated they would release a new ad without the former First Lady. The ad will still feature clips from President Obama, former secretary of state Colin Powell, and Dick Cheney, former vice president to George W. Bush. Check out the ad with Laura below while it’s still online.

Now, this is how you sell high-priced scented candles!!! It worked on me. LOL. I admit, at first glance I thought the main objective of “Paris Flat” was to promote marriage equality. But after the third close-up shot of the JSD Candle Collection, I realized this was more than just your average product placement. It was a beautifully shot commercial disguised as a story between lovers facing a dilemma due to international passports and work visas.

Directed by John Saint-Denis, “Paris Flat” is about Paolo (Peter Calandra) and his young French partner Marc living in a cute flat in Paris. Everything seems idyllic. Problem is, Paolo is being shipped off to the US but his beau can’t come with him due to same-sex marriage immigration policy. But all is solved when Paolo picks up the newspaper. Splashed on the front page is the answer to everything. How convenient.

Apparently, “Paris Flat” is the sequel to “Il Palazzo.” Though it stars sexy daddy Peter Calandra in both, I think his partner in the Italian-themed clip is someone else. SLUT. Haha. Check out both videos below. Be forewarned, there’s a little bare booty sighting in the vids. It’s a beaut.

Academy Award winner, Morgan Freeman has lent his legendary voice to various commercials, documentaries and campaigns over the course of his career. Now, the 75-year old has lent his voice to a new national HRC commercial called “Dawn of a New Day for Marriage Equality“. In the commercial, Freeman says the following:

“America stands at the dawn of a new day. Freedom, justice, and human dignity have always guided our journey towards a more perfect union. Now, across our country, we are standing together for the right of gay and lesbian Americans to marry the person they love. And With historic victories for marriage, we’ve delivered a mandate for full equality. The wind is at our back. But our journey has just begun.”

Complimenting his narration are beautiful visuals of various scenic landscapes, clips of Martin Luther King, clips of gay and lesbian couples and families together, and more. It’s so great to have such a famous and recognizable voice support such an important cause. Watch the new commercial below.

Let me preface this post by saying that I know my public persona is shallow. I don’t really like talking about anything political because I feel my choices are my own. I don’t really like to blog or post about marriage equality or the fight for our rights because for me I’d rather just do something than talk about doing something. On our show HOMORAZZI (Which you can watch HERE) I can throw down about gossip, television, movies the latest dramz between celebrities and I can talk about any party I’ve ever been until I’m blue in the face. But I’m always shied away from really serious topics probably because I’m not a very serious person publicly.

When Hillary Clinton gave that amazing speech, I was late to that party. When Sally Field gave her speech I was also late to that party. I watched and listened and really appreciated what they had to say. Bringing awareness to such important issues is amazing, but it wasn’t until this morning when I watched Lana Wachowski’s acceptance speech for the HRC Visibility Award that I finally decided it was time to say something about it.